Hermione's Boys: Lupin
by akiismarina
Summary: Third installment of the Hermione's Boys series now finished . If you haven't read the others, please do so first. Lupin is about to loose the only family he knows, and its all thanks to the same Ministry department Hermione's working for. Thankfully there's a new, unexpected ally to help her out. But beware - werewolves never were easy to please.
1. Chapter 1

True to her word, Hermione walked into the ministry that Monday after she confronted the Weasleys and demanded a job. She was fairly certain Shacklebot was on the verge of passing out in excitement when she did it too. Within minutes he had her seated at his desk, in **his** chair, with a huge pile of folders stacked nose high in front of her. Each was filled with prestigious jobs around the world, many of which were sent in with a specific request for her. And they continued to come in daily.

The Minister wept a little on the inside when she adamantly refused them all, insisting she only wanted a beginner level job to learn basic level secretarial and public relations tasks, and the basics of wizard politics. Shacklebot was quick to offer her some of the highest positions in the Ministry there were, already imagining how great it would be to have her working directly under him. But his private, internal sobbing only increased when she firmly insisted on doing things right and starting at the bottom of the totem pole with all of the other newbies.

They sat in that office for the majority of the morning, and were already feeling their stomachs stir at the promise of a soon to come lunch when they finally came to an understanding. Hermione was the kind of woman who knew what she wanted, and Shacklebot knew that. So he had no choice but to concede to her wishes, and be comforted by the fact that he'd given the cause his damn best. Finally taking time to consider positions that fit what she was looking for, he decided that she'd be most happy joining the Department of Legislation in the small Magical Creatures branch.

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"Morning Hermione," Lavender Brown called as she tied a letter to an owl's ankle.

"Morning Lav," Hermione removed her clock and walked over to place a dark book on the other woman's desk. "Thanks for letting me borrow this."

"No problem," Lavender took the book about rare creatures and placed in the desk to bring home later. "Sorry I didn't have anything more in depth to give you."

Hermione waved off the apology and sat at her own desk to flip through her inter-office mail. Over the past three months the two had become good friends. They'd both matured since school, making it easy for them to connect despite their differences. Somehow, Hermione even confided in her about the past few months. For some reason it was easier to talk to her – maybe because she was the only girl friend Hermione had that wasn't related to the offending party.

At first, Lavender had trouble believing it all. But as Hermione continued to reveal things, little by little over time, she could see that she was telling the truth and the fear and conflict in her eyes about trusting someone new with something so personal. She was devastated for her new friend, and was always quick to sucker her into going out to dinner together, and insist on paying the bill. It was always worth it to see each other outside of work, where Hermione always opened up more, and obviously left feeling better than she did arriving. They may not have been the best of friends, but they shared a sort of natural bond. It compelled Lavender to want to help Hermione and even shield her for a while from the world; Hermione found herself accepting that help with increasing frequency as hey slowly grew closer and closer.

Over time, Ron and Molly were slowly making amends, asking for forgiveness and working hard to earn it. Their family was relatively quick to forgive them, holding out only long enough to get the point across that they did not appreciate how they had acted. The same went for Harry, who also made a point of making it quite clear that he wouldn't tolerate such behavior to Hermione again. Never-the-less there was still tension in the air as everyone held out on moving on completely, waiting for the time when Hermione did the same.

The hardest was Hermione and Sirius. Both had been hurt the most and weren't ready to move on. For Sirius, he knew he could never view the Molly and Ron the same, and though he could continue on and simply keep more distant from the two, he refused to let things be smoothed over. He would follow Hermione's lead on this all. After all, they were family the way she was.

More than once Hermione had teared up as she told Lavender about urging Sirius to try and move past it all, if not just for Harry. She didn't realize the change in their dynamic, or how strongly Harry supported his Godfather in choice. Instead she felt sick knowing she had no place to tell him to move on when she couldn't even bring herself to do the same. Lavender always did her best to help comfort Hermione, continuously pointing out that apologies and nice gestures didn't automatically mean Hermione should move on. She'd been hurt and had every right to feel however she did no matter what anyone else did or said.

Things had become even more difficult when Harry and Ron began training to become Aurors a few days later. Even though Harry did his best to keep Ron busy, Hermione was still jumpy, like prey knowing it was being stalked but unable to find the predator. Several times a day Lavender had to run out and intercept him, while trying to not attract Hermione's attention. Each time she greeted and left him with a lecture about acting properly at work and giving Hermione space. The more often they saw each other, the longer their meetings grew. Usually the time was spent talking with Ron expressing whatever what was on his mind- usually having to do with his behavior or relationship. It was easy to see he was still hurting too, so Lavender allowed him to talk, glade to provide a healthy outlet for his turmoil and save Hermione from having to deal with him before she was ready.

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	2. Chapter 2

For seven months Hermione would return home from work, change into more comfortable cloths and run to the kitchen to make dinner with Sirius. Today was no different… until she passed by a room near to end of the hall opposite of her own on her way to the kitchen. It was yet another empty bedroom that she usually didn't take notice of. But usually there wasn't the sound of hushed voices on the other side.

Curiously, Hermione slowly opened the door and peeked in to see the room had been freshly cleaned and made up for someone. From the looks of all the personal belongings neatly arranged in the room, that someone was planning on an extended visit. She opened the door a little further and gasped when Sirius glanced at her, eyes boring directly into her own from his place on the bed. She wasn't so shocked at his presence as she was at Lupin's. The werewolf was actually curled up in his old friend's arms, struggling to speak about sobs so violent they didn't make a sound. The hushed voices proved to be mostly Sirius' gentle responses.

"Professor?" Hermione whispered halfway into the room and slowly approaching the bed. She was so upset at the sight that she mindlessly lapsed into their time at Hogwarts. The man looked up; there was a fearful look in his eyes when he saw her. He quickly began to retreat into himself, the same way she had before Harry found her at the lake. Spurred into action, she sprinted forward and slide the last few inches on her sweat-pant covered knees to reach desperately for his hand, her body pressed against the side of the bed in front of him. Her mind filled with memories of the pain of hiding behind a mask as she gripped in tightly and spoke to him beseechingly. "Please don't. Don't hide form me… I want to help. I'm here for you."

"Hermione," Sirius whispered, worried for her and how Lupin would react. Lupin's initial reaction was to begin to tell her to leave him alone. But he froze; through his own tears he could see tears flooding her eyes. It was enough to make him realize she'd managed to say and do the one thing he needed most.

"I… you… I can't," Lupin struggled to speak as his sobs redoubled at the thoughts floating through his head tortured him yet again.

Quickly, with his voice still hushed as though the words themselves could physically hurt the broken man, Sirius explained. Early that morning Lupin had received a letter from the Ministry. The letter cited an old, almost forgotten law that forbids werewolves the civil right to marriage or children. Because werewolves were uncommon and normally lived lives consumed by their place in a pack, the law rarely needed to be enforced. However, given the circumstances, Lupin was now forbidden from having any contact with his family. If he tried to disregard their orders, they would step in, forcibly remove him and place him in isolation. He had no choice but to flee to Grimmauld and loose his loved ones for good. His only hope was the possibility of some form of contact through messages and stories relayed through mutual friends.

By the time he finished, Lupin was a mess. Hearing what had happened only made it worse; made it feel more real. Tears were flowing freely down Hermione's face. Her lips quivered with her attempts to not allow the sobs building pass though. Throughout the story she'd been subconsciously gripping Lupin's hand tighter and tighter. Now she pulled her hand from his equally tight grasp, stood and pulled him to the edge of the bed into a hug. Immediately Lupin turned and sat upright with his feet on ground, legs on either side of Hermione's. At the same time his arms wrapped around her upper thighs and he buried his face in her abdomen; his tears soaking her loose fitting tee-shirt as he hugged her close like a frightened child. Hermione stroked her hand over his shoulders as the other combed through his messy hair slowly and rhythmically, her nails lightly scratching his scalp.

"I'm so sorry… I had no idea," Hermione's voice was thick with the tears she continued to shed for the torn family. Lupin hovered nearby, wanting to help his 'pack' but at a loss about what to do. He watched in borderline amazement as Lupin's sibs subsided, his quaking body beginning to relax. Leave it to Hermione to bring the semi-peace he'd been trying to bring the man all day in a matter of minutes.

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	3. Chapter 3

Hermione paced the kitchen, wishing morning would come already. The weekend had been hell. With her and Sirius taking turns between the two halves of the estranged family, struggling to bring some semblance of hope and comfort to them all.

Fortunately, Saturday afternoon, while Tonks and Teddy napped and Hermione occupied Lupin with a game of muggle chess, Sirius had a chance to contact Harry to rally the troops. The arrival of the reserves allowed Hermione to spend the evening holed up in her room while half the Weasley family sat with Lupin and the other half visited Tonks and Teddy with Harry, Ginny and Sirius running back and forth between the two. She was up until early dawn researching.

The next day she was up early with Lupin, spent the afternoon with Tonks and Teddy and meet with Lavender for a last minute dinner date. During dinner she explained what had happened Friday, and what little she learned from her research. Lavender was just as surprised as she had been though not nearly as outraged.

When morning finally rolled around, Hermione left early ready for battle. She immediately marched into Shacklebot' s office, expertly deflecting every attempt to stop her, and demanded he bring in Harrison Courtison. He stared at her, thoroughly baffled, barely noticing the swarm of approaching Aurors in time to stop them from attacking the irate witch. The last thing he needed was his elite members sent to the hospital. His confusion only doubled when she slapped down the letter she lifted from Lupin and jabbed her finger violently at Mr. Courtison's signature at the end. He called in the high level attorney, doing his best to not reveal his lack of knowledge about the letter.

No sooner did Hermione manage to express her outrage and demand the law be removed, making a point to not lower herself so far as to acknowledge the attorney's existence, did Lavender burst in shouting she simply could no longer work for a Ministry that allowed discrimination like that being face by the Lupins exist. Three pairs of eyes stared at her, thoroughly shocked. "_I need to get tighter security,"_ Shacklebot thought absentmindedly. It was one thing for Hermione to get through, but this was getting ridiculous.

"Lavender…" Hermione said softly. The thought that her friend would leave the job she so dearly loved from the Lupins made a chill run down her spine. Lavender simply winked at her, assuring her this is what she wanted. "Neither can I. Not only will I have no choice but to quit, but I guarantee that everyone within the wizarding community will know exactly why I had to. The department will never recover and the Ministry will suffer greatly in the public eye."

Shacklebot rested his elbows on his desk, clasped his hands together and rested them just below his nose. He appeared contemplative, but he was really just trying to hide his smirk. He hadn't known what Courtison had done; normally it was unthinkable to go over the Minister's head like that but the man was older and self-absorbed and made it no secret that he should be the one given the title 'Minister'. Instead he made it a point to become such a cornerstone in the Legislative and Judicial Departments that Shacklebot couldn't afford to fire him for such an infringement. Obviously both girls had done their homework and anticipated such a conundrum. As a member of such an influential family in the court, Lavender's threat was enough to allow him to… reprimand Courtison and **maybe** arrange to loosen the restriction on the Lupin family. But Hermione's threat changed everything. Between the gleam in her eye, the smug smirk on Lavender's face and murderous anger on Courtison's, in was obvious they all knew it too.

"Glade to see you're finally throwing your weight around and getting things done Miss Granger," Shacklebot said finally letting his own smirk be seen while hammering the final nail in the coffin of Courtison's career.

**LINEBREAK**

Ten minutes later, two Aurors were escorting a violently thrashing and cursing former Ministry employee out, proving they had at least some use. Meanwhile, Lavender and Hermione were sitting, quite relaxed, with Shacklebot. Lavender was smiling broadly was she signed a new, long-term contract detailing her promotion to the job formally held by Courtison. Initially she had been insistent that Hermione should get the job, much to the agreement of Shacklebot, but Hermione insisted she wished to leave and follow a new path of employment.

Only after many heart-felt pleas from Lavender did she agree to withhold her resignation for a little while longer and work alongside her in the new position. But just until she was settled and ready to take full control by herself. After everything was finally settled and the paperwork complete, Hermione stood to shake Shacklebot's hand and leave. Mid-shake, she quirked a brow at Lavender who made no move to follow.

"You go ahead. I have one more thing I need to take care of," Lavender said. Hermione hesitated a moment, then followed her friend's instructions. At the doorway she paused and looked back.

"Thank you Minister," the warmth in her eyes countering her formal tone. Understanding the underlying meaning behind her thanks, Shacklebot nodded and smiled warmly, his straight white teeth standing out beautifully against his smooth dark skin.


	4. Chapter 4

It was just after nine when Sirius finished his breakfast and third cup of coffee, strolled out of the kitchen and began to climb the stairs to wake Lupin when he froze. He looked oddly comical with his foot poised mid-air and a weird look on his face. In slow motion, he turned and slowly made his way back the way he came. With narrowed, unblinking eyes he slowly back tracked to the front of the house, to the 'main' fireplace. There stood a young women, still as a statue, staring back at him, her position unchanged from when he first mindlessly glanced at her. They remained suspended in time for a moment, each staring at the other like a couple of muggles that'd seen a ghost. If either were so much as to whisper "Boo," chances are at least one of them would pass out cold, and Sirius wasn't so sure it wouldn't be him.

"Mr. Black?" The girl finally spoke in a very soft, timid voice. Sirius barely contained a yelp as he physically jumped back a step. He wondered if he were old enough to have a heart attack from fear when the girl also jumped back with a gasp; his heart was pounding much too hard for him to tell if he had yelped and scared her, or if she'd just spooked herself by talking.

"Who the hell else would it be? You used the public floor network… who else would be at the entrance to the Black Residence but a black resident," Sirius automatically spoke harshly as an automatic defense to being so thoroughly spooked. His harsh words were countered by the bare whisper he spoke in, though neither could figure out just why they were whispering.

"I'm Lavender Brown, Hermione's co-worker," Lavender continued to whisper as she introduced herself. She fought with herself to extend her shaking hand, unable to figure out why she was still so nervous. The hesitant why Sirius shook it told her she made the right move in introducing herself so casually instead of by her official title. She had a feeling her chilly welcome would have been far worse if she had. Her focus entirely on navigating the conversation she continued, "I was just at the Lupin residence and was directed here to find professor Lupin."

Sirius immediately latched onto her accidental use of his friend's former title. While he was still weary of her, he felt a little more confident knowing that she obviously had no desire to confront either of them. He recognized the woman's name, but Hermione never said much about her, so he was glade for the extra knowledge that she'd been Lupin's student too. In cases like this, it was always best to know as much as possible about the potential enemy. She shifted a little at his silent scrutiny and lack of response.

"If you could have him join us… perhaps somewhere more comfortable?" Lavender finally added, tactfully reminding Sirius of his manners. Not that it would normally matter to her, but she'd much rather a personal setting for their sake. Sirius gestured for her to follow him, and lead her to the library. _"Not much of a talker, is he?"_ She thought blandly, not that she could blame him for treating her in such a cold matter.

"I'll go get him now," Sirius said as he gestured to the door. The look he gave her clearly said for her to sit down, not touch anything and not even consider leaving the room.

_"Then again, why bother talking when you can say volumes with a look. Certainly saves air and energy,"_ Lavender's mind refused to shut up as she sat on a couch, lightly perched as she stared at the fireplace expectantly. Sure enough, she wasn't kept waiting long for green flames to appear, yielding a woman and young boy, both looking at her suspiciously. _"Maybe it's a family trait," _she pondered, remembering that the woman holding her son so protectively was cousins of some sort with the esteemed Mr. Black.

"What's going on here?" Tonks wasted no time in demanding. "Remus isn't with us anymore, you have no right…" She broke down crying, unable to finish the thought.

_"Guess it doesn't affect women as much. Thank Merlin,"_ Lavender thought, grateful for some more advanced communication. "Please, I assure you this is nothing like what you're thinking. Why don't you sit? I'd much rather only have to say this once." Lavender's tone was gentle as she tried to assure Tonks. Quickly, she moved to an armchair at the perimeter of the room, well aware the woman wouldn't sit if the perceived enemy was too close. Tonks sat on the couch, cuddling her son as she eyes Lavender suspiciously. Lavender's heart went out to the desperate woman.

"Tonks," a haunted voice filled with disbelief drew their attention to the door where a bedraggled Lupin stood next to Sirius.

"Remus," Tonks cried out, jumping up as Lupin surged forward to embrace his wife and son. Sirius stood tensely in the doorway, his stare impossibly more suspicious than before. Lavender tried to ignore it as she waited for the family to calm down enough for her to speak.

Slowly, she explained everything she knew, starting with when Hermione sought her out for dinner the night before, to how they'd confronted the Minister, straight up to the present moment. "So you see, I came here to tell you that the order's been revoked and law scraped. I asked the Minister to let me come personally because I wanted you to know the truth of what happened. An official messenger wouldn't know the whole story and well… you know Hermione," she concluded with a shrug.

Her audience remained captivated during the story, Sirius actually relaxing enough to enter the room and take Teddy so Lupin and Tonks were free to embrace one another. Small gasps filled the room when she told them about going to the Minister's office, although she wasn't sure if they were shocked they'd done it, or that they'd managed to get in. by the end, Sirius was nodding in full agreement of her last statement while Lupin grabbed Teddy and held him and Tonks close crying. Even Teddy was crying; he didn't know exactly what was going on, but he could sense the emotions his parents where giving off well enough. Lavender's watch beep softly announcing the new hour; she glanced down at it and grimaced realizing she'd been gone for over an hour.

"I have to get back. Hermione doesn't know I came here… I'd rather keep it that way if you don't mind," she requested, suddenly more businesslike as she stood. She was immediately embraced tightly by Tonks, who she hadn't even seen stand.

"Thank you," she whispered gratefully. Lupin shook her hand and thanked her warmly as well; both were obviously overwhelmed and at a loss of words. Once again silent, Sirius motioned to her and led her back to the 'main' fireplace.

"Thank you for coming and telling us everything," Sirius surprised her with his now warm tone. "Your secret is safe with us."

"Thank you," Lavender beamed turned and quickly returned to work, hoping her emotional high from the visit didn't give her away to Hermione.

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	5. Chapter 5

That weekend Sirius hosted a party for his best mate and cousin. Given the nature of the party, he'd even extended the invitation to Molly and Ron, both of whom eagerly accepted, wanting to congratulate the couple. They also both recognized the possibility of his slowly coming to forgive them and wanted to continue to encourage and earn further progress. Everyone had long since figured out how much he chose to involve them in his life depended on Hermione, but they hoped to one day change his apathy toward them to even just a portion of the friendship they once shared. An invitation was even extended to Lavender, whose role in the couple's happiness was not lost of the few privy to the details of why the family was reunited. She had been honored to be invited to such a personal event, and even thought about politely declining, not completely convinced her invitation wasn't only a formality. But under their and Hermione's insistence she finally, happily accepted.

The party was a huge success, and somehow word had gotten around about what Hermione had done with her none-the-wise. Despite their attempts to act casual, everyone found it hard to not shower her with the royal treatment, and only barely managed to rein themselves in enough to avoid suspicion. Fortunately she was rather distracted showering the reunited family with love and attention to notice the change in the rest of the party-goers.

Ron and Mrs. Weasley put forth an amazing effort that night. Ever since the blow up they'd been working hard to make amends, but tonight their efforts were super-human. They also managed to control themselves enough to give Hermione and Sirius the space they needed, and never once did they take the focus from the true reason for the gathering. The change didn't go unnoticed. Perhaps the most significant was how Hermione responded. She was cordial and even responded a few times when they spoke directly to her. It was the first time she wasn't ignoring their presence, or walking away completely. While there was no doubt part of that change was due to the reason for the party, they also realized part of it was because of their new approach.

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"I guess you're right. I don't know why, but that burning anger just isn't as bad as usual tonight. It still stings, but… I'm just getting sick of it all, you know?"

Lupin paused when the sound of Hermione's voice met his ears through as window opened only slightly. He'd just stepped outside, needing a breather from the festivities, and managed to meander around the side of the house. He leaned his back against the wall, hidden in the shadows, and listened.

"That's great," Lavender's higher pitched voice responded sounding happy. "I'm glad you're starting to feel so much better."

"Mhmm… maybe it's this while business with families nearly being torn apart. Makes you grateful for what you have," Hermione sounded contemplative, obviously wondering what had caused such a sudden change.

"Maybe. I'm just glad things are falling into place for you all. I could never live with myself if I had to work with the same people who'd tear apart families like that.

"Now if only things would begin to settle," Hermione's voice sounded odd to Lupin's sensitive ears. He waited curiously as a moment of silence passed. "I never got to properly thank you for keeping Ron from bothering me." Hermione added when Lavender didn't seem to understand. Lupin's eyebrows shot up as he cast a surprised look at the window. Remembering Lavender from Hogwarts, and seeing how much she'd changed, he wasn't surprised the she would help out a bit, but it was obvious shed gone beyond that.

"I didn't think you knew," Lavender's voice was shy. Unseen, Hermione shrugged.

"Even if I hadn't tonight would've clued me in pretty quickly." Lupin narrowed his eyes at the window. "You've connected well. He and I… you two click in a way we never did." Lupin turned to lean against his shoulder so he could stare at the window without straining his neck. He was too focused on the conversation to realize it wasn't all to necessary since the window was several inches too high for him to be able to see either witch.

"I'm really…"

"Don't," Hermione quickly cut her off, almost harshly. "Don't apologize… there's no reason to."

"But…" Lavender's voice was thick with emotion. "I never wanted to do it. I just wanted to help you… to keep him away and give you sanctity. Somewhere along the lines we just… I don't know. Became friends."

"But you'd like more," Hermione simply stated. Lupin frowned at the window at what seemed to be quite a long pause, unaware that Lavender had nodded, blushing and crying at the same time. Instead of her voice, he heard Hermione's again. "Lavender, what's wrong?"

That certainly wasn't what he was expecting. Hiding be damned he turned and used the window sill to pull himself up to look inside. He was rewarded with the site of Hermione embracing her crying friend in front of the sink, barely a foot and a half away from him, directly in front of the window. He was surprised to see such a scene, considering what he's just learned.

'I never meant for it to happen…" Lavender murmured as she attempted to explain herself. A simple apology could never excuse her from such a transgression.

"No, I imagine we never do," Hermione smiled as she smoothed Lavender's hair. "There's no reason for you to not try though."

"No, I couldn't!" Lavender stood straight and walked to the corner to get a tissue. Hermione waited, giving her time to calm down a little.

"Because of what happened at school?" Hermione ventured a guess after Lavender wiped her eyes, blew her nose and took several calming breaths.

"No… that was so long ago, and we were so young," Lavender quickly dismissed the idea as she threw the tissue away. "So long ago I wouldn't even know where to start. But either way I could never do it. Not after he hurt you like that I know how he felt hurt too and all, but I could never date a friend's ex, not even if the break up was friendly and certainly no when the friend is as good of one as you are to me."

"Not even with that friend's blessing?" Hermione responded, thoroughly shocking Lupin and Lavender. Both immediately jumped to the conclusion that, once again, Hermione was putting her feelings aside to make a friend happy. Almost as if she'd read both their minds, she quickly continued, "I mean it Lavender. I mean it when I said I wanted better for both of us. I may not have been able to forgive and move on just yet, but that doesn't mean I wish him ill. Everyone deserves a chance to try and find someone to love and happy with. So I mean it – I want you o ask Ron out. And if he tries to refuse, tell him you've my blessing."

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	6. Chapter 6

Lavender was crying again. She had grown to have a pretty strong crush on Ron and it made her feel sick to think her feelings were trying her friend. In such a short time Hermione managed to take the dark self-loathing that had begun to grow and shine a light of hope on it. She couldn't even begin to thank her. All she could do was hope that one day she could be there to do the same for Hermione.

"That just leaves one problem," Hermione commented with a mischievous smile. "Tomorrow, let's have lunch and I'll give you a crash course in Ronald B. Weasley 101. I'll give you **everything** you could ever need to know about him so you'll be fully prepared to ask him out this week. Just don't tell anyone I gave you the scoop – who knows how he'd react." Hermione concluded with a wink. Lavender giggled and nodded. Tomorrow she'd be one step closer to a hopefully bright start to a relationship **and** have a chance to try and begin to express her gratitude.

Lupin turned his back to the wall and sank to the ground as he listened to the women leave to rejoin the party. Somehow words didn't begin t cover what Hermione had done in the past week. He knew what she'd done for his own family but for some reason it never hit home. He was just so happy; she was so close to them and had such a passion for the rights of others. She'd changed history itself for him and he was too selfish to even realize it. It took something as selfless as witnessing her giver her blessing to a friend and the man who'd caused her countless hours of pain… hearing her sincerely wish them **both** happiness **and** offer to help them for him to finally open his eyes and see.

**Now** he understood – why Sirius suddenly treated her like family; why Harry was willing to subject himself to good-natured humiliation for her. Why they both looked at her with such gentle admiration. Why they were so protective of her… so determined to make her happy. Somewhere along the lines they too had come to realize how blind they were. And now that his vision had cleared, he had every intention of keeping it that way.

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Slowly Lupin felt the wolf locked deep inside begin to stir, the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions of the human that entrapped him pulling him from his slumber. For the first time, the human didn't cower, or try and force him away. And for the first time, he did not push and try to force his way for freedom. He stood and shook his massive body, enjoying the feeling of his deep grey fur rising to cool his warm flesh. He stopped and simply let the world wash over him, hating how the mortal's heightened senses still dulled the world to him. His glowing, dark-golden eyes narrowed as he sat on hos hunches and scrolled through the human's memories like a video on rewind. He remembered this human…girl – she was first one to realize their beloved professor was a monster. He paused the memories at that moment and regarded the girl carefully. Then he fast-forwarded the memories, watching the one's with her carefully. Unlike all of the others, she never showed fear of his presence. Even when the one time they'd met face-to-face she seemed less inclined to fear **him** as she was to fear the fate of his bite.

Wolves are fickle creatures. Their loyalty is only to their pack, and even that could be tested and broken with ease. Entrapped spirit wolves, werewolves, are even worse. Despite years of friendship of loyalty, and being an animagous of the same family, Lupin's inner wolf refused to accept Sirius as anything more than a nuisance to be removed however forcibly needed. And even though he could feel the love the boy felt for the strange women – the one that never seemed to look the same – and knew she was the boy's mate, he was not swayed. If anything, he viewed her more as prey. It wasn't until the conceived Teddy that the wolf started to regard her less violently. He even rejected other werewolves. But having been entrapped within the boy for so long, he couldn't help the familial connection he felt to the unborn child, however small it may be. It was only then he accepted Tonks as a form of a mate, and while neither was safe during the bloodlust of the new moon, both had full protection as a mate and pup the rest of the time.

Never before had one of his kind even considered what this wolf was considering now. But this girl was smart and loyal. She protected his pack too. The wolf regarded an image of Hermione at the party in Lupin's mind. She was undeniably ideal mate material, but the boy was right – some the aspects that added to her value as a mate – the kindness, strength and loyalty – also made her weak. Someone could easily hurt her… and according to the boy, someone already had.

Finally, the wolf came to a conclusion. This girl wasn't like any of the other humans that scorned the world with their presence. The humans couldn't even see it – but he could. She was special, and she needed a pack. Not the kind of 'pack' that annoying dog had. She needed, maybe even deserved, something stronger… more powerful and everlasting. She needed a werewolf pack. The wolf stood, closed his eyes, tilted his massive head back and let out a majestic howl that raised goose-bumps on his human vessel's body. Unseen inside, Tonks and Teddy felt the familiar chill at their toes at the wolf's silent call. Further in the house, Hermione shivered as goose-bumps covered her body, her nipples contracted, her heart pounding hard and her eyes in a blank stare as she felt the wolf's beckoning. Somewhere deep inside, her soul responded. Hermione's body recovered and went back to normal, and Tonks and Teddy's chill went away, the whole thing happening so quick they doubted it ever happened.

The wolf slid his front paws straight out and lower the front of his body is a full stretch. A toothy, wolf-grin spread across his snout, satisfied that the girl would be safe now. Never before had a wolf so openly and fully accepted another being. She, and she alone, was now so closely bonded to him in spirit that not even the bloodlust of the new moon could compelle him to harm her. He turned a circle before laying curled up with his bushy tail falling over his nose, knowing that their new bond would easily awake him if the girl, his pack, were to find danger.

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	7. Chapter 7

A bit over five minutes later, Sirius stepped outside to look for his missing friend. He's seen him slip out over half an hour ago, and had been making excuses for his absence even to Tonks for the past ten minutes. Lupin always was an introvert, so there was no doubt he'd just needed a break from the constant flow of people.

"Mooney!" Sirius' startled gasp filled the crisp night air when he rounded the corner, finally spotting his friend near the kitchen. He was lying on the ground, his back to the wall, his knees drawn to his chest. His eyes were clenched shut, face drawn in pain as body shook violently, and covered in a cold sweat.

Quickly he sprinted back to the door and, with forced subtlety he didn't know he possessed, gathered Tonks and Harry. Leaving Teddy in an oblivious Ginny's care, they rushed back to Lupin, each as silently terrified for the man as the next.

"His potion?" Sirius questioned Tonks as he and Harry moved on either side of him.

"Every day," Tonks replied firmly. She watched agonizingly helpless as Harry and Sirius lifted the man from his prone position, wrapped his arms around their shoulders. They held his wrists tightly and wrapped their other arm tightly around his torso and lifted him, struggling to not drop him, but not hold him too tightly so his shivering wouldn't cause them to leave bruises. They dragged him to the street, away from the house's numerous protective barriers. Then Tonks reach forward and wrapped her hands over the hands wrapped around her husband's wrists and they apparated away. It was a risky group apparation in a risky area inhabited by muggles that risked making the ill man even worse. But they had no choice.

When they arrived at his house Harry and Sirius dragged Lupin to the bedroom, following Tonks. She pulled down the sheets of the bed and placed pajamas on it before running to the bathroom to get Lupin's potion. Her smooth movements, devoid of any hint of her usual clumsy nature, were a testament to her mounting fear. Working together, Harry and Sirius quickly undressed Lupin by hand, not wanting to risk using anymore magic on him. They dressed him in the lightweight cotton pants Tonks provided, silently choosing to leave his sweat covered chest bare. Unable to handle watching him pant and the uncontrollable tremors that ran under his skin, Harry ran to find a washcloth and something to fill with cold water to try and wash off the cold sweat that covered Lupin's body. He nearly collided with Tonks in the doorway, who quickly dodged him. No one batted an eye that the two seemed to have switched roles.

"Here, he always insists on making extra to keep in the house… just in case," Tonk's voice was high and strained as she handed a small glass to Sirius and filled it with a shaking hand.

"Go help Harry," Sirius commanded as he climbed on the empty side of the bed. The nervous wife nodded and ran to obey; grateful he was there to take control. With the strength and ease of someone with plenty of practice, Sirius lifted Lupin and propped him up with a knee and let him lean into his chest. He used the hand opposite Lupin to hold the glass ready and reached his other arm around Lupin's back, tilted his head back and forcibly pried his clenched jaw open. Oblivious to the pain of his friend's teeth digging into his flesh, he pushed his fingers to the back of his mouth to hold his mouth open as he poured the potion in little by little, stopping to rub the sides of his neck whenever the potion didn't go down. He was slow and careful, not wanting Lupin to choke or to waste any of the potion, he knew it was expensive for Lupin to brew extra just to keep his family safe.

By the time he finished the potion was already, thankfully, beginning to work. By the time Tonks and Harry returned, both undoubtedly moving slow, hoping Sirius had everything under control, Lupin's shaking had improved his body now much more relax, and his cold sweat had gone away. With Harry holding a pot filled with ice water, Sirius stood, took one of the washcloths from Tonks' clenched hands and placed it on Lupin's forehead, taking care to wring it out and fold it just right. Then he and Tonks each took another and began to wash off his chest and arms, taking care not to soak him or the bed. Tonks transfigured another washcloth into a hand towel and used it to dry him off, then took the pot and cloths to put away. Again, she took her time, trying to keep busy, unable to handle helplessly watch her husband suffer.

Sirius and Harry also took their time and were nearly finished putting on his shirt when Lupin finally started to come around. Still in a foggy haze, he was silent as Sirius and Harry finished dressing him, laid him propped against some pillows and pulled the sheets over him to his collar bone. Sirius leaned over and tucked the sheets in around Lupin's body, just tight enough to be snug, but not uncomfortable. Then he took the comforter and repeated the process, but only to his hips. The process was a familiar one he and James used to do regularly simply because they realized it brought their friend some sort of comfort after an episode. Over time it had become a comforting process to all of them. Harry watched curiously, but somehow not nearly as surprised as he thought he should have been. Given the men's reputation, the whole thing should have seemed weird or funny. But knowing them and their friendship, he understood it. He somehow knew his father once was a part of the comforting bond of the moment and knew the two men had the kind of relationship that seemed to make his own friendships pale in comparison.

Giving him time to recuperate, they waited for Tonks to return in silence. Sirius sat on the edge of the bed by Lupin's thighs, not bothering to hide his sharp perusal of his pale face. Harry dragged a wood chair from the far corner of the room to the side of the bed and sat tiredly in it. His heart stopped momentarily when he settled and the chair tilted back. Sirius chuckled softly as his Godson cursed at the chair charmed to rock when its occupant was at unease; he was relieved to see a small grin on Lupin's face as well. He let his hand rest on his friend's hip on the opposite side on his body, knowing the solid touch would be a small added comfort. In Lupin's eyes he could see fear and guilt… and something else too. Something had happened – this wasn't a normal episode.

When Tonks came back, she eagerly kissed her husband before climbing on the opposite side of the bed and lying down with her head on his shoulder, snuggling close. If she noticed the tucked sheets, she didn't say anything. Nor did she say anything when Sirius' hand remained on Lupin's hip, now pressed against her lower abdomen. She long since realized that the two had a bond that went far beyond the love she and Lupin shared – and quickly learned to accept she could never reach that same level. Instead, she knew to be grateful her cousin and husband, her only family, could share such a bond and allowed her to witness it and join them.

After a few more moments of silence, Lupin began to speak – slowly and hesitantly telling them everything that'd happened from the moment her slipped out – making sure to insist on their secrecy more than just a few times. He knew he didn't have to, that he could trust them all, but it gave him reassurance to hear it. Naturally, they were all shocked to hear about Hermione and Lavender's conversation. Though not nearly as shocked as when he explained what the wolf had done.

It was easy to see he was upset that the wolf hadn't extended his protection to his family or Sirius. More than once all three had to assure him it was okay, and try and quell his guilt. Harry and Sirius were actually sort of glad to hear the news, in a strange kind of way. Tonks, always honest with Lupin, admitted she also wished the wolf had taken to herself and Teddy the same way, or at the very least Sirius. She would have at least expected that. But… if there was anyone else she could choose, it was Hermione. Hermione had saved their lives many times, and their status as a family. If anyone else deserved the title 'pack' it was her.

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